OCC Announces Enforcement Actions for January 2025 and Updates to Enforcement Action Search Tool
WASHINGTONâThe Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today
released enforcement actions taken against national banks and federal
savings associations (banks), and individuals currently and formerly
affiliated with banks the OCC supervises. The OCC also announced
updates to its enforcement action search tool.
The OCC uses
enforcement actions against banks to require the board of directors
and management to take timely actions to correct the deficient
practices or violations identified. Actions taken against banks are:
Cease and Desist Order against Bank of America, N. A. , Charlotte,
North Carolina, for violations and unsafe or unsound practices related
to the bankâs Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money laundering, and sanctions
compliance programs. Refer to OCC News Release 2024-140. (Docket No.
AA-ENF-2024-56)
The OCC uses enforcement actions against an
institution-affiliated party (IAP) to deter, encourage correction of,
or prevent violations, unsafe or unsound practices, or breaches of
fiduciary duty. Enforcement actions against IAPs reinforce the
accountability of individuals for their conduct regarding the affairs
of a bank. The term âinstitution-affiliated party,â or IAP, is
defined in 12 USC 1813(u) and includes bank directors, officers,
employees, and controlling shareholders. Orders of Prohibition
prohibit an individual from any participation in the affairs of a bank
or other institution as defined in 12 USC 1818(e)(7). Actions taken
against IAPs are: Order of Prohibition and Order for Civil Money
Penalty against Claudia Russ Anderson, former Community Bank Group
Risk Officer at Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. , Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
for her failure to credibly challenge the bankâs incentive
compensation program, failure to institute effective controls to
manage the risks posed by sales practices misconduct, and failure to
escalate known or obvious risks related to sales practices misconduct,
which contributed to the bankâs systemic problems with sales
practices misconduct that lasted until 2016, as well as for
obstructing the OCCâs examination of the bank. The assessed civil
money penalty is $10 million. Refer to OCC News Release 2025-3.
(Docket No. AA-EC-2019-81) Order of Prohibition against Brian
Hernandez, former Financial Services Representative at a Queens, New
York, branch of TD Bank, N. A. , Wilmington, Delaware, for accessing
the accounts of two elderly bank customers and making unauthorized ATM
withdrawals totaling at least $187,000. (Docket No. AA-ENF-2024-86)
Order of Prohibition against DeâAnna Herrell, former Teller at an
Atlanta, Georgia, branch of Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. , Sioux Falls,
South Dakota, for cashing a series of checks that she knew or had
reason to know were fraudulent, resulting in a loss of at least
$117,000 to the bank. (Docket No. AA-ENF-2024-41) Order to Cease and
Desist and Order for Civil Money Penalty against David Julian, former
Chief Auditor at Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. , Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
for his failure to plan and mange audit activity that would detect and
document sales practices misconduct, failure to adequately escalate
the sales practices misconduct, and failure to incorporate risk events
in incentive compensation recommendations, which contributed to the
bankâs systemic sales practices misconduct that lasted until 2016.
The assessed civil money penalty is $7 million. Refer to OCC News
Release 2025-3. (Docket No. AA-EC-2019-71) Order to Cease and Desist
and Order for Civil Money Penalty against Paul McLinko, former
Executive Audit Director at Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. , Sioux Falls,
South Dakota, for his failure to plan and manage audit activity that
would detect and document sales practices misconduct, failure to
adequately escalate the sales practices misconduct, and failure to
maintain independence from the Community Bank line of business, which
contributed to the bankâs systemic sales practices misconduct that
lasted until 2016. The assessed civil money penalty is $1. 5 million.
Refer to OCC News Release 2025-3. (Docket No. AA-EC-2019-72) Order of
Prohibition against Cassandra Meadows, former Lead Customer Service
Representative at a Plainfield, Indiana, branch of Fifth Third Bank,
N. A. , Cincinnati, Ohio, for misappropriating at least $15,000 from
the bankâs vault and the accounts of three bank customers, including
an elderly customerâs account. (Docket No. AA-ENF-2024-97) Order of
Prohibition against Isaiah Nicholson, former Customer Service
Representative at Northfield Bank, Staten Island, New York, for
misappropriating over $164,000 from two deceased bank customersâ
accounts. (Docket No. AA-NE-2024-74) Order of Prohibition against
Nakyra Singletary, former Customer Service and Support Representative
at PNC Bank, N. A. , Wilmington, Delaware, for providing confidential
bank customer information to a third-party not employed by the bank,
resulting in the misuse of customer information, fraud against bank
customers, and a loss of at least $47,000 to the bank. (Docket No. AA-
ENF-2024-98) Order of Prohibition and Cease and Desist Order against
David Wu, former Loan Officer at Sterling Bank and Trust, FSB,
Southfield, Michigan, and current mortgage broker. While employed as a
loan officer at Sterling, Wu did not disclose that he originated loans
for clients of his closely held mortgage brokerage company. As a
mortgage broker, Wu also used fraudulent means, including making false
statements, concealing or otherwise not disclosing his role and fees,
impersonating both applicants and their purported employers, and
providing fraudulent or falsified documents, to cause Citizens Bank,
N. A. , Providence, Rhode Island, to originate mortgage loans for his
clients and himself. (Docket No. AA-ENF-2024-109)
The OCC
also updated its enforcement actions search tool to allow users to
search for enforcement actions issued since 2012 by subject matter and
to easily view subject matters covered in those actions. This update
provides additional transparency into and search capability for the
contents of the public enforcement action database. All OCC public
enforcement actions taken since August 1989 are available for download
by viewing the enforcement actions database at https://apps. occ.
gov/EASearch.
To receive alerts for news releases announcing
public OCC enforcement actions, subscribe to OCC Email Updates.
Related Links